During this year’s NAIDOC Week, Telethon Speech & Hearing’s Chevron Ear Health team were invited to participate in a community festival for NAIDOC Week.
Below is a recount of the weekend’s festivities from Hearing and Intervention Coordinator, Jackie Nicholls:
What an amazing weekend we had at Peedamulla! From checking ears to serving up kangaroo tail stew, Telethon Speech & Hearing enjoyed an incredible weekend celebrating NAIDOC week with the local community of Peedamulla.
It all began with an invitation from Caroline Parker, daughter of local Elders Trevor Sr. and Doris, who encouraged Telethon Speech & Hearing to attend a market stall at Peedamulla station campgrounds. Our Chevron Ear Health team set up the stall and although it took a little while for people to warm up to the idea of having their ears checked, when they did, we had everyone lining up! Caroline was of course, the first to jump in line and have her ears checked.
Local Peedamulla resident, Rachel, getting her ears checked by Telethon Speech & Hearing.
As the sun started setting in this idyllic location, our Ear Health team jumped in and volunteered to serve up the food. We started with sausages in bread for the conservative eaters and then four pots of traditional tucker – kangaroo tail stew or home-grown beef and gravy, topped off with home made damper. All prepared and cooked by the Traditional Owners of Peedamulla station. Compliments came thick and fast with one lady commenting, “I’ve tasted kangaroo before, but this has to be the best meal I have had in the Pilbara!”.
Telethon Speech & Hearing’s Chevron Ear Health team volunteering with food duties.
When everyone’s belly was full, everyone sat down to hear the stories of the local people and how they were all connected to the land. Tonight, through dance, they would share this knowledge and stories with us. Their performance was briefly interrupted by the sighting of a space station orbiting the skies, but focus quickly restored when boomerangs started tapping and voices started singing – the men leading charge in the corrobboree followed by the boys and girls. Stories were all narrated by the Elders of the community.
Local residents Rachel and Glen stated, “You wait ’til they started kicking up the dust, this Aboriginal disco will go all night!”. They weren’t far wrong with the night finishing around 3am, roasting marshmallows around a glorious campfire.
What an experience and what a group of people. To the traditional people of Peedamulla and surrounds Yanga (thank you) for an amazing night full of fun, laughter and joy.
If you ever get an opportunity to head to Onslow be sure to call and see the beautiful people at Peedamulla!
Telethon Speech & Hearing’s ear health stall set up amongst the natural wonders of Peedamulla.
Telethon Speech & Hearing is honoured to celebrate NAIDOC Week and acknowledge the Whadjuk People of the Noongar Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live, learn and work today.
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Telethon Speech & Hearing respects that the Whadjuk people have a continuing spiritual and cultural connection to Galup / Keiermulu / Lake Monger (our home base since 1975) and encourage everyone to join us in celebrating and empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, nations, and heritage by joining a COVID safe NAIDOC celebration here.
Read more about the Chevron Ear Health program and Telethon Speech & Hearing’s work in regional WA here.
